BERLIN Tue Oct 14, 2014
(Reuters) – Violence at soccer stadiums in Germany’s top two divisions rose sharply in the 2013/14 season compared to the previous year, a police report has shown.

While finances and spectator numbers have been on an upward trend in the top two leagues, it has been accompanied by increases in arrests, criminal proceedings as well as injuries from violence at matches.

A total of 8,989 fans were arrested or detained last season, up 31 percent from the previous season, according to a report issued by the German police unit in charge of monitoring deployment in sport.

The number of criminal proceedings launched from incidents at matches was also up by 21 percent to 7,863, while the number of injured fans and police rose to 1,281, up from 788, partly due to a different surveying method.

Based on the previous method injuries were still up by more than 12 percent.

“Compared to 2012/13, safety-threatening or violent behavior of so-called football fans has risen in total in both Bundesliga divisions,” the report said.

Equally worrying, the report said, was the increasing influence of ultra fan groups in club boards, though the report said most were peaceful and committed supporters.

However, it did note a 1.2 percent rise in the total number of estimated fans prepared for or seeking violence before, during and after games to a nationwide total of 10,542 individuals.

The figures will not please German football bosses, who have seen broadcasting rights, sponsorship and success on the pitch boom in the past several seasons.

The top Bundesliga division also has the world’s highest average attendances per game at more than 42,000 in 2013/14.

A man in Chicago is in critical condition after he was beaten before the Bears game against the Dolphins on Sunday. The unidentified 57-year-old man was at a tailgate just blocks away from Soldier Field when he got into an argument with another man.

The argument turned into a physical altercation and police eventually found the man “incapacitated,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was listed in critical condition. Authorities believe that the victim was “heavily intoxicated” before getting into the altercation.

Fan behavior has become a serious issue for the NFL this season. The incident in Chicago happened just two weeks after a 49ers fan was left partially paralyzed after being assaulted at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 5.

A shoving match breaks out in a section of the MetLife Stadium stands. While security officers hustle to the scene, a beyond state-of-the-art surveillance system is recording every detail.

No more conflicting accusations and complaints. The cameras show all.

The cameras installed late last year before the stadium hosted the Super Bowl feature a mega-pixel system that provides comprehensive, undisrupted video coverage throughout every part of the venue. MetLife Stadium previously won a security award and recently was nominated for another one for the system, which cost close to $1 million. Praise has come from the NFL for implementing a program that the league wants expanded to every team’s home.

“We can validate people’s accounts of any dispute, see what actually happened,” says Daniel DeLorenzi, director of security and safety services at MetLife Stadium, which opened in 2010. “We can simply call our command center, see on video exactly who was involved and what occurred.

“The video also has evidentiary value; it’s been used to see if anyone should be arrested and who.”

It’s also utilized when medical issues crop up somewhere in the building.

“You get unique situations with 80,000 people in your stadium,” DeLorenzi adds. “The diversity makes this system invaluable.”

From the command center, video operators can watch every nook and cranny of the stadium except inside the luxury boxes.

“The idea is to see every seat in the bowl,” DeLorenzi says.

Cameras also monitor concourses, escalators, the outside of the building and the parking lots. The system has the ability to provide views of about a quarter-mile away, showing surrounding roadways and even the Giants’ practice facility.

It took several months of investigating products and suppliers before the stadium settled on the camera design by Arecont Vision and management of the system by Genetec Security Center, according to MetLife Stadium President and CEO Brad Mayne. Installation took nine months, but the system was in place well before last February’s Super Bowl.

The stadium has about 40 events a year, including 10 home dates each for the Giants and Jets, college football games, concerts and motor racing.

And it’s not all about the cameras. When the stadium opened, DeLorenzi implemented a program emphasizing fan conduct.

If someone is ejected from MetLife Stadium, that person is banned for all events until completing a readmittance program. That program entails having the barred person fill out a form that basically is an ejection report; explain to DeLorenzi what his or her actions were; and take an online conduct course vowing to act responsibly.

Once that person has a certificate of completion, readmittance is granted.

“We’ve had no repeat offenders from people who have taken the class,” says DeLorenzi.

The NFL is so impressed with the fan conduct course it will be making it mandatory throughout the league.

What began as an alcohol awareness class morphed into a program addressing other issues. The class includes anger management and stress management techniques courses to provide an understanding of the impact of bad behavior on others.

“Our class registrations are up,” says Ray DiNunzio, the NFL’s director of strategic security programs. “If fans violate one of the principle tenets, they are required to be ejected from the stadium and prohibited from returning to the stadium until completing the course. And new in 2014, they are barred from any NFL stadium.”

DiNunzio notes the “number of ejections are way below 1 percent” of people in attendance at games. There were fewer than 8,000 ejections leaguewide in 2013.

“We will have a better picture of compliance after the fan conduct inspection process concludes this season,” he said.

Fans can report issues at the New Jersey Meadowlands stadium directly to the security command center in the bowels of the building through texting to 78247 and typing “MLS,” followed by a request for assistance and a location; by calling a Hotline at 201 559-1515; or by sending a tweet to @MLStadium.

The stadium also has undercover security and police officers who play a role in game-day security.

“We’re tracking stats as much as we can to learn if the fan conduct class is an effective tool,” DiNunzio says. “The last thing we want is to have a program that requires this much effort on the part of the fan and the league and for it to not be effective.”

MetLife Stadium’s DeLorenzi has no doubt about the effectiveness of the course and of the camera system.

“The message is simply that what you do and how you behave is subject to scrutiny,” he says. “And we have the means there to see what you did.”

A fan who used a laser pointer to distract players during Sunday’s Lions-Bills game has been identified and is banned indefinitely from all events at Ford Field, the team announced Thursday.

The Lions said the fan admitted using the laser pointer and has been charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The fan got the ticket from a season-ticket holder, whose tickets have been revoked for the remainder of the season.

The NFL investigated the allegations after Bills quarterback Kyle Orton and holder Colton Schmidt complained to officials during the game about separate incidents involving a laser pointer.

“We have a lot of ways to monitor the crowd and to look at activity both as it’s happening and after the fact,” Lions president Tom Lewand said. “It was a confluence of all of those things that we do that enabled us to identify him so quickly.”

Detroit city attorney Melvin “Butch” Hollowell confirmed the perpetrator was a 17-year-old from West Bloomfield but did not provide a name.

“You see a green light on any of the bills players just laugh cause it’s me,” was tweeted before the account was deactivated.

Attempts by The Detroit News to reach the family were unsuccessful.

Lewand said the team used several means to find the perpetrator, including eyewitness accounts from fans in those sections, camera surveillance and other electronic means, including Twitter.

“We do monitor social media and I certainly don’t think he did himself any favors by talking about it, but that wasn’t the sole issue for us,” Lewand said.

Laser pointers are not illegal but are banned by all major sports league at their stadiums, as they could pose a safety issue if shined in a player’s eyes.

It’s unclear whether there is a precedent for the disorderly conduct charge, but Lewand said that he will let the legal process play out.

“All I’m concerned about is our stadium and I feel like this will stick and the law-enforcement agencies that are involved feel the same way,” he said.

Lewand said there is a “close relationship” between the perpetrator and season-ticket holder but would not elaborate. If the perpetrator returns to Ford Field, he would be subject to a trespassing charge and would be subject to further prosecution.

“We certainly hope that the attention we’ve paid to this will deter anybody who was thinking of doing this in the future — now they understand the ramifications,” Lewand said. “Our security will be on guard in looking for things like laser pointers, but also other devices people bring into the stadium.

“The bottom line is 99.9 percent of our fans are great and create a tremendous home field for us. They were fantastic on Sunday, except for a few bad actors. And we’ll do everything in our power to eliminate those bad actors.”

You’re supposed to be on the same side! Watch as San Francisco 49ers fans brawl among themselves in stadium bathroom
By Associated Press and Ted Thornhill for MailOnline
Published: 18:41 EST, 6 October 2014

Police said Monday they were reviewing video of a fight in a restroom at Levi’s Stadium that left one man in serious condition before the San Francisco 49ers game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

In the video, which has been widely distributed on the Internet, the two assailants and two victims appear to be wearing 49ers gear.

The footage shows two fans raining punches down on two fellow fans, leaving one unconscious and the other lying on the floor desperately protecting his head.

As punches are thrown other fans in the restroom can be heard urging those involved in the fracas to calm down.

The person filming the footage turns the lens towards himself and says ‘wow’, just before the clip ends.

The suspects, Dario and Amador Rebollero, fled from the bathroom but were soon caught inside the stadium, said Santa Clara police spokesman Lt. Kurt Clarke. One victim was treated and released and the other was in serious condition.

The Rebolleros were booked into county jail on suspicion of felony assault, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

Jasmine Watkins @jl_watkins
October 5, 2014 Sporting News
An Angels fan is in critical condition following a beating in Angel Stadium parking lot after Friday’s game against the Royals. The beating happened around 10:30 p.m. when the 43-year-old victim was attacked from behind and a mother and daughter witnessed the entire thing.

“It was so intense,” the woman only identified as Sandra told KABC-TV. “This man started running towards another, and just started beating this guy. He had two punches, the guy went down, he was out cold, and then he started beating his face really bad on the pavement.”

Sandra says there needs to be better lighting in the parking lot and more security around because it was hard finding help.

“He wasn’t breathing, so we went down to try to help, and we were trying to call someone to help. No one was coming, so he started turning purple,” Sandra said.

The victim was rushed to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition Saturday night. He is still unable to speak and the suspects are still at-large.

September 9, 2014- Security
A security officer hired by the San Diego Chargers cannot be held liable for restraining an unruly fan at Qualcomm Stadium who was making obscene gestures during a football game.

Cameron Baker was an employee of Elite Show Services, said Courthouse News Service, which the Chargers had hired to provide security at their football games. During a game in 2009 Baker and his partner were told to check on a fan who was being disruptive.

Baker found Jason Ensign, “who ‘was standing up on the stairway and was belligerently waving his middle finger in a “fuck you” gesture at other spectators[.]‘ Mr. Ensign admits that he ingested alcohol prior to and during the football game,” according to the ruling. Baker asked Ensign to follow him into the hallways of the stadium to avoid obstructing other fans’ view of the game, said Courthouse News Service.

As Ensign continued to threaten and curse the security officers, they were able to restrain him. He was taken into custody by the San Diego Police Department.
Baker sued Ensign for the injury he sustained from a punch.

U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant ruled that Ensign cannot pursue any of his claims against Baker. She found that although Baker applied some force to Ensign, there is no evidence that he did so in an attempt to interfere with Ensign’s rights through violence or threat of violence.

Nor is there evidence to support a malicious prosecution claim against Baker, who provided evidence that he never threatened to file a lawsuit against Ensign if Ensign did not plead guilty to criminal charges and pay Baker $40,000 in damages.